


Not Lost, only found

by sonicsora



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child Neglect, Family Feels, Found Family, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Misgendering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:19:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonicsora/pseuds/sonicsora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being ambassador was never something Frisk thought would be easy. It involves a lot of boring meetings, answering questions, paperwork and occasionally keep Undyne from suplexing people. </p><p>The only thing Frisk isn't comfortable with is being interviewed on TV.  Frisk worries just who might end up seeing them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Lost, only found

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this idea for awhile after watching my friend play through Undertale a few times. Eventually I just had to hammer it out. 
> 
> Frisk as ambassador is really fascinating to me, thus this fic was born. I also wanted to dabble with the headcanon floating around regarding Frisk being neglected/left behind by their family. You'll see bits of that floating around.
> 
> I also wanted to have some other characters besides Sans comfort Frisk. Since I see a ton of Sans swooping in to save the day, not so much everyone else. He still helps, but its everyone working together to parent the lil goober.
> 
> This is also unbeta'd, so prepare for some whoopsies I'll have to fix later.

Frisk’s fingers fumbled with the button of their jacket. Dressing up to this extent was not something they were used to, much less the attention that came with it. Sure, Frisk was the ambassador for monsters, but that never was very hard. Much less did anyone but monsters know who Frisk was.

Being ambassador was enjoyable in a tough way. Meetings could be kind of long, a little tiring and very strange, but always worthwhile. The thought made Frisk smile amidst their nervous fidgeting and fumbling. Monsters always took Frisk’s word seriously. They never seemed to doubt or belittle the human child’s judgement. Toriel, Asgore and Undyne always listened. It was always heartening to be heard. (Frisk certainly didn’t feel like the smartest or quickest, but they felt relieved to be heard.)

The monsters acted in their positions for negations, even if it was unneeded. (Asgore explained it was more about being figureheads than actually their old roles. Undyne occasionally bemoaned the lack of suplexing her current royal guard position had, but it was a small price to pay for peace.) It usually meant Frisk was a very small ten year old in a circle of monsters standing up and talking to make space for monsters on the surfaces. Humans tended to gawk, but Frisk expected as much. Seeing a small child being carried in by a fish woman in armor was kind of weird if you weren’t used to it.

The sound of knocking pulled the child out of their reprieve entirely, Toriel’s voice coming through the door.

“My child? Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Apparently that sounded reluctant enough for Toriel to open the door herself and come in. Mom mode was immediately engaged as soon as she saw the disarray her child was in. “Are you struggling with the coat? Is it too big?”

“No- its okay! Really.” Frisk already knew it was too late to escape the fussing as the goat woman moved over to brush out any wrinkles in the fabric. Toriel gladly helped her child button up the freshly pressed shirt, followed shortly by the matching jacket.

“The coat is a little big.” Frisk admitted after a moment, gesturing with the overly long sleeves. Toriel could only shake her head, a touch of amusement in her voice as she spoke. “I told Undyne what size you were.”

“Well, she probably got distracted.” She had come home with more anime DVD’s than Frisk had thought possible to carry. Frisk remembered helping her carry a few of them that day they went shopping together.

Toriel made a noncommittal sound in response, simply taking the initiative to roll up the child’s sleeves. Clawed fingers worked carefully with the fabric. Toriel had done her fair share of accidental tears in Frisk’s clothes, she would much rather avoid doing it now. “It isn’t the traditional way I’ve seen humans wear this, but, I suppose we aren’t traditional.”

Frisk nodded slowly at her words, chewing at their bottom lip uncertainly. “Is everyone else… ready?”

“Yes, but I told them to go on ahead. I thought you might need time to relax.” The goat woman gave her child a knowing smile. “You seemed a little stressed at this television appearance, even if you didn’t say a word about it.”

Frisk searched for some excuse, coming up empty and sighing somewhat back. “A little.”

“I’ll be there, my child. As will Undyne and Asgore.” Toriel for her part didn’t immediately grimace when saying her ex husband’s name. That was an improvement over their usual interactions. “We’ll be there for you. Papyrus, Sans and Alphys rooting for you as well. Even if they can't come with us.”

Frisk nodded once again, they had known as much, but hearing it was comforting in its own way. “Okay.” Toriel smiled at that, swooping in to press a kiss against Frisk’s forehead. “I’ll be outside. Come find me when you’re ready to go, my child.” With that Toriel rose from her crouch, walking back out the door.

Frisk spared themselves a glance in the mirror across the room before taking a deep breath and following after Toriel. The monster smile down at the child as Frisk stopped next to her. Frisk's hand naturally found its place in her own.

\----

The lights are brighter than Frisk would like, but the comforting presence of Toriel and Undyne on either side of the them is all they can ask for. Undyne shoots them an encouraging toothy smile. Normally she would ruffle the child’s hair but the TV cameras and importance of the interview intervened in their usual ritual.

“Don’t worry, kid. They got a list of questions they’re supposed to ask from. Questions we got to write up.” She seems pleased at the prospect.

Frisk gave a slow nod, clenching and unclenching their hands in their lap. “It's still a little scary.” Undyne had to strain to hear them over the din of the chatter of the crew, rush of people going through the room and faint music from the floor above.

“It can be.” Undyne admitted, resting a hand against Frisk’s back as Toriel smiled at the two. Frisk could feel Asgore’s eyes on them as well. All their friend's worry made Frisk skin crawl in discomfort. (They didn't mean to make a problem. It wasn't supposed to be obvious.)

“We’ve got your back, kid. Scary or not, you can let us handle questions for you when you start feeling nervous.” Undyne answered, her gloved hand prodding at the child's shoulder. Frisk opened their mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a commotion.

“Someone take care of that damned music over us!” Was yelled a few feet away, making Frisk grimace openly, squishing into Undyne’s grasp. The fish narrowed her eye, but Toriel quickly stepped in to avoid any possible violence with loud polite cough. The director cast a glance back over at the cough. Embarrassment settled over his face as he avoided Toriel's eyes. “…The darned music. Someone take care of that darn music.” The director awkwardly shuffled off, grumbling to himself along the way. Undyne snorted disapprovingly, relaxing in her chair again as did the other adults.

“We’ll be starting soon. Do you want anything? I can always get you some tea or water.” Asgore spoke up this time, his voice gentle and pulling Frisk back to attention. The child glanced between the three adults, feeling more reassured to some degree. (This feeling was still new, still something Frisk wasn’t quite sure how to handle.)

The child slowly shook their head. “No, I’m okay. I- I’m okay.” Toriel leaned in to press a kiss against Frisk’s forehead, pulling away smiling at the brown haired ten year old. “If you need anything, just tell us, alright, my child?”

“Mhmm.” The child’s attention was diverted again when they felt Undyne’s hand drift across their back playfully, commencing tickling. All Frisk could do was giggle, squirming until the Royal Guard stopped the all powerful tickle attack. Usually Undyne would go much more gung-ho, but the need to stay neat made her take it much easier. “Just wait till later, I got more where this is from.”

It was a threat and promise rolled into one, it left Frisk feeling… content.

Frisk could only smile back at her for that.

\---

Frisk’s smile lasted most of the interview, even when harder questions were thrown their way, finding words was easy enough. Picturing Papyrus, Alphys and Sans watching somehow did the trick in. Frisk could just picture all of them piled up on a couch together, Papyrus excitedly applauding every time Frisk showed up whilst Sans and Alphys ate popcorn sharing quiet laughs between themselves.

"Now, Frisk." The woman interviewing the group brought Frisk back to the present. "With your open support of monster kind, I'm sure your parents have some concerns? How do they feel about this?" This was not a question Asgore or Toriel wrote. Frisk knew that immediately from the slight discomfort from the crew at the reporter going off script.

The child could feel Toriel stiffen slightly next to them. Frisk wasn't oblivious to the curious glances Undyne and Asgore threw their way.

"My mom is okay with it." Frisk replied simply back, pointing at Toriel. The goat woman barely stifled a surprised sound on her part. "We're all quite proud of Frisk for their accomplishments." Asgore stated simply back, jumping in to cover for his ex wife.

The reporter paused at that, softness touching her features in a way Frisk wasn't sure what to make of. It wasn't pity. "Oh! Of course. I'm happy to hear that."

"Thank you for asking." Frisk added after a pause on their part. Frisk wasn't sure if they should say that, but it felt like it was right. Their words certainly mollified the reporter. (Maybe she did pity them?)

The reporter easily switched back to the script of questions she had been given to ask. Her more practiced smile had slid back into place, a show smile. ('Always have a show smile. Never let 'em see you cry.' She popped gum and reclined in the passengers seat of the sedan. The seats were hot against the bare skin of Frisk's legs. ) When they reached the last question, she thanked all of them again for coming, signing off to the camera with a playful wink.

"And that's a wrap! C'mon, everyone!" The director shouted as the crew descended on the set to start pulling things apart. Asgore rose from his chair, stretching tiredly. Undyne followed suit, groaning in irritation as she clanked around. "Man, sitting in armor sucks."

"Be thankful it is ceremonial, if we had used your real armor, you would have certainly passed out." Toriel supplied with a soft laugh as she stood up. Undyne waved a hand at the queen's words, grinning a little back. Toriel's gaze dropped to Frisk, her smile softening to something concerned. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Tired." Frisk admitted simply back, sliding out of their chair as well. "Can we go home?"

"Of course." She easily reached out to take Frisk's hand in her own. The child gladly squeezed her hand as she led the way out of the studio. Asgore and Undyne were left to talk with the crew. Any final cuts or changes were left in their capable hands.

Frisk fell in step with Toriel, readily nodding and offering small replies as she spoke. Their walk home was a long enough one to warrant lulls, lulls Frisk fell into with very little complaint. It took the ten year old a moment to realize the stillness wasn't a comfortable one, Toriel kept glancing back at them worriedly.

"Frisk..." She hesitated, finally coming to a stop and turning to face the child. She crouched low to be on the child's level. "You didn't have to call me your mother." Frisk had to admit they were surprised by the shift in topic. Their silence only prompted the monster further. 

Toriel visibly struggled with herself for a moment longer, clearly wanting to find the right words for the situation. Eventually sighing before just speaking her mind. "Only if you want to. I'm here for you, even if you don't call me... mom."

"I do." Frisk stepped forward, equally having trouble putting together what they wanted to say. "I... Can you be my mom? Please?" ('Don't ask stupid questions. You're wasting everyone's time when you open your mouth and don't know what you want to say.' His agitation was sharp and angular, the stench of smoke and whiskey wafting from him. The casino chips glittered in the lamp light as he frowned at Frisk. 'Stay quiet.' Frisk hated that smell.)

"Please?" Frisk repeated quietly. They didn't realize their hands were shaking until later on.

Frisk doesn't quite understand what most of the emotions on Toriel's face meant, they only catching glimpses as she cycled through emotions. Finally setting on something loving and gentle. A smile. A teary smile. "I'd love to. Nothing would make me happier." She opens her arms Frisk readily stepped forward into the embrace. Even with the cold of the night wearing on, Frisk hasn't felt as warm from head to toe as they did then.

\---

"Uuughhh." Undyne announced herself as she always did, loudly. The ex royal guard tromped into the living room, dramatically throwing herself on the couch next to Frisk. "I hate talking with those business humans." 

Frisk reached out and patted Undyne fondly. The fish grumbled but accepted it. The grumbling was more for show over anything else. With her armor gone, it meant she could actually tell when the kid where Frisk was. "Remind me to run off with you and Toriel next time." 

"I will." Frisk promised with another pat to Undyne's shoulder. She shifted where she was sprawled, yelling in at the next room. "Has the interview been on TV yet?" 

"Yes! It will air again tomorrow!" Toriel called from the kitchen amidst a sea of clanking pots and pans. Followed briefly by a pause as Sans told her something. "At 7pm!" 

Undyne snorted, sinking further into the cushions. "We should have insisted on it being live all night! Not like humans got much else going on." 

Sans poked his head out of the doorway of the kitchen to squint at the fish monster as he lazily waggled a spoon in Undyne's direction. "We would have missed Bob Ross if it had." A perk of the surface was the variety of TV channels and options. Many, many options monsters had never seen before. Frisk had introduced all of them to Bob Ross, which was an immediate hit.

"Eh, guess that's worth it." His passion for painting impressed Undyne, even if he spoke so softly all the time. Frisk easily rolled over to flop on Undyne proper earning a laugh from the royal guard.

"Has anyone seen Papyrus?" Came from the kitchen from Toriel after a moment, the group realizing the apartment had been oddly quiet so far. Her concern only made the other three pause uncertainly.

"He wasn't with Asgore or Alphys." Undyne mused as she ruffled Frisk's hair. "...He isn't trying to use the internet again is he?" Papyrus only ever got this quiet when he was 'fighting internet trolls' or asleep. 

Sans gave a lofty sigh. "I bet he is." 

"I can check." Frisk offered, reluctantly wriggling off of Undyne and the couch. They landed feet first with a quiet thump on the worn carpet. "I know how to put on the child safety lock on the internet." 

Undyne shared a look with Sans, before sitting up. They originally had that for Frisk, but clearly it was more useful for Papyrus and Alphys when the two got into internet binges. "Somehow I am not even surprised. Go get 'em, nerd." 

Frisk gave a playful salute before heading in the direction of the skeleton room. The din of conversation vaguely fading behind them as Undyne and Sans continued talking. 

Their apartment wasn't particularly nice or roomy, but it was home. There were enough bedrooms for everyone and it was warm at night. Toriel dressed it up with flowers and pictures best she could. Sans and Papyrus shared a room, Frisk was a door over. Undyne and Alphys lived in an apartment a floor below them due to not many people renting anything to monsters.

The child easily pushed the door open, stepping in. Not remotely surprised when they saw the tall skeleton looming over his keyboard, whapping at the keys with his gloved hands. Muttering to himself and laughing with a particular vicious stroke. 

"Nyeh! That should suffice!" He dusted his gloved hands off victoriously. It took Papyrus a moment to realize he had company, when he did her perked up considerably swiveling his chair around to face Frisk. "Frisk, my dear friend! Is it dinner time?"

Frisk shook their head before they spoke. "Not yet, but Mom wanted to ask you about spaghetti." It wasn't _really_ a lie. Toriel had been wanting to ask Papyrus about spaghetti, mostly how he managed to make it completely inedible without trying. "We might have it tomorrow." 

"Oh boy!" He bounced out of his chair gladly, brightening up further. "The queen wanting to know my recipe? It is truly an honor!" He needed very little encouragement to head into the hall and towards the kitchen. 

Frisk stifled a giggle to themselves as they moved onto the chair, swivelling it around to peer at the computer. The child safety lock wasn't hard to put in so it wouldn't take long at all. 

Frisk's hands stalled out over the keyboard when they actually read over the page Papyrus had been on. "Oh." It felt like someone had kicked them. Papyrus had been using his tweeter account. 

_Where is the kids real parents, lol?_

_what sappy shit. fucking monsters._

_can someone find this kids real parents?_

_Did they kidnap and brainwash that little girl?_

_is this brat stupid or something that aint his mom_

_unless his dad fucked a goat and we missed it, lmao…_

Papyrus had sent each person a detailed, well as detailed as 140 characters would allows, response. Each response only fueled the fire further. More notifications were popping up the longer Frisk stared at the page. The child's gaze glazed over as worry settled over them. (They'll come back in the old sedan with fake smiles and lofty promises. Just like they always did.)

Frisk shakily closed the page, pulling up the application to lock down certain websites and punching in the passcode. Frisk pushed away from the desk, simply forcing themselves to spin in the chair. It was dizzying, but better than staring at the screen anymore.

"Hey, kiddo." Sans voice broke the quiet, nearly startling Frisk off of the chair entirely. The skeleton looked more than a little alarmed by that as he approached. 

"Woah- hey, don't go falling now." He reached out to steady the child and chair. "I don't want you to go breaking that funny bone of yours." 

Frisk gave Sans a watery smile. The pun was nice, but not as funny as it usually was. "I saw what Papyrus was doing..." 

Sans grimaced at that, avoiding Frisk's gaze momentarily. "He mentioned he was fighting 'trolls'. I was hoping he closed the page." He sighed glancing back at the child. His smile was fixed in place, if Frisk didn't know Sans they wouldn't be able to see through that smile at all. "It's better not to think about what they're saying." 

"Yeah..." Frisk just chewed at their bottom lip, not entirely convinced. 

Sans sighed openly, reaching out to rest his hand atop Frisk's head. The touch itself was gentle, careful. His expression was soft at the edges, smile more genuine. " _Tibia_ honest, I think those _numbskulls_ don't know what they're talking about, kiddo. They don't know us, much less know who you are."

"I don't care about them." Frisk managed, reaching up to gently take ahold of the skeleton monster's hand. "Can we... just go eat dinner, please?"

Sans frowned back, but relented at Frisk's expression. "Alright. Let's go."

\----

“Are you troubled, young one?” Asgore questioned softly as he peered down at Frisk over his tea cup. Frisk resisted the urge to sigh. If Asgore could see through them, it meant they were more upset than they’d like to be. Frisk had been trying all day to ignore the lingering panic and fear settled in their gut. It hadn’t done much but make them more anxious. Frisk was more than a little relieved to go off with Asgore for tea time.

“Um…” Frisk's fingers toyed with the teacup handle. The heat wafting from the cup was a comfort in the disquiet the child had been feeling all day. Even with the awkwardness of Asgore's sudden question making Frisk's heart jump, the tea was still a familiar anchor to home.

Asgore quietly sipped at his tea clearly trying to make this less awkward. “Well, I ask because you seem unhappy. Usually you are very happy.” 

“I guess I am unhappy. I…” Frisk toyed with their tea for a moment, "I saw some comments people made about our interview." 

"I see." Asgore scratched at his chin as he spoke, "Most comments tend to roll off of your back. So... it could not be that, could it?" 

Frisk paused, looking up at the old king quietly. The giant of a boss monster was partially hunched forward on his overly small human sized furniture that came with the apartment. Normally the sight always made Frisk smile. Today Frisk couldn't find it in themselves to muster a smile.

"I'm afraid." They admitted slowly, gaze dropping to the fresh tea. "I like it here. I don't want to be taken away." 

" _Taken away_? Has anyone said something?" Asgore's gentle demeanor shifted at that, tension settling in his shoulders and eyes narrowing dangerously. Even in his pink hawaiian shirt and khaki's, Asgore was still king. Still a boss monster. 

Frisk sharply shook their head, finally setting the cup down on the small table between them. "No one said anything to me directly or anything. I'm just worried I guess. I..." They hadn't wanted to worry anyone else. One thing Frisk knew innately was to be quiet and out of the way, in the long run that was always better for everyone. 

Asgore paused thoughtfully, understanding blossoming across his features. "Are you worried about _who_ might see the interview?" 

Relief washed over the ten year old, glad Asgore seemed to understand what they couldn't put into words. Frisk nodded slowly back, resting their hands on their knees. The clink of Asgore setting his cup down on the table brough Frisk's gaze back upwards.

"I'll speak with Toriel I'm sure she and Sans can get some paperwork in order." One thing monsters had learned quickly when it came to the human world, a lot of things involved filling out forms of various kinds. They were still saving money to hire a human lawyer to look over half the things they had to sign. "So you'll know you shall always be with all of us." 

Frisk paused, before rising from where they sat to throw themselves into Asgore's arms. Nearly making the boss monster topple over off of his couch.


End file.
